Happy 16th Birthday Carli!

I got to Decatur just in time to
celebrate Carli's 16th birthday!

I drove up today to help Tina take care
of Delores. She is doing ok but still not
100%.

Gary's Retirement Party

Paul's captain retired yesterday and

Paul and I put together a surprise

retirement party. Paul had to be at

the station so my mom helped me

set everything up. Paul & Gary

All of the guys at the station chipped
in and Paul had this plaque made.
The best part was that he had to steal
Gary's badge for the plaque and Gary has
been looking all over for it. Gary blamed it
on a guy that he had loaned it to one time.

Theo hunting big (caged) game at the

Iowa State Fair

Sara & Amanda and Alex & David flying

Alex's First Car

Alex got his first car! It is a 1989 Pontiac

Lemans. Now he just needs a drivers license.

Iowa State Fair 2009

The knuckleheads and I went to the fair

with my mom and dad. Paul couldn't go

because he had to work, stupid job!

My cousin David and his son Theo (just turned 2)

posing in the pig barn.

Sara and Amanda on the spinning roller coaster.David and the boys.

Theo watching his dad and the

knuckleheads ride the roller coaster.

He was very impressed! He is

such a good boy he just sat and

talked to us the whole time we were

waiting, his speech is great.

Our belongings in the wagon were

very well protected!

The highlight of the fair was watching Theo

hunt. He got a cork gun and the cork was

attached to a string. He walked through

all of the animal barns and shot every animal!

He is great at shooting caged animals!

This is the strange goose guy. His geese were very

well dressed and followed him all over the fair.




The main street of the fair.

I think there was at least 14 million people

there that day.



This cute pig reminded us of someone we know.




They sit and sleep the same way!

Josh and the kids stayed at mom's house

for the weekend to take care of Sadie.

Josh said that her and the kids loved each

other and that the children had been licked clean.



And of course the highlight of the Iowa State Fair!


Alex and David and Sara and Amanda

before being flung into space.




Eric decided to go rock climbing instead.

He is smarter that the others!



When we got home Theo showed Grandma and

Grandpa (my Aunt Kim and Uncle Rick)

how great his gun works. He is a nice guy

though, every time he shot grandpa he kissed his

owie.

Rick and Kim didn't fill their pool this summer

because it has been so cool. Now it is even better

though because it is full of frogs! Eric had a great

time catching and releasing frogs. Of course

Theo thought everything that Erk (we tried to tell

him that it is pronounced ersix but he went with

erk) did was great!



I have videos I will post tomorrow.

Babysitting Jack

Last week we babysat for Jack

while Jessica took Sara and Carli to

go see a concert. I think we got the

better part of that deal from the sounds

of the concert. We went over and played

at the school and had all kinds of fun.

Paul was teasing him and Jack kept

telling Paul that he is ridiculous. It

was really funny because it comes out

dick-a-less.

Henry Doorly Zoo & Cousins

The Knuckleheads with Cousin Colin, Sara's

friend Amanda and a statue of Paul.

He doesn't even remember sitting

for it!

Sara on the tortoise just before it threw

her off.

The kids just love having their pictures taken!

One of our favorite things at the zoo is feeding the

fish from the bridge.

This elephant was just relaxing...

The new skyfari is really really neat. It takes you all the way

across the zoo.

The prettiest bug I've ever seen.

Butterflies and moths in the new butterfly garden.

Giant Lily pads!


A baby anteater!

Oh Cute!

Some guy was throwing potato chips to the

orangutans. (really bad but fun to watch)

The mom and baby were catching them then

the mom went and pulled a tuft of grass and

used it to sweep the fallen chips close enough

to the fence to reach them. While she was

working at getting the last one a squirrel

came up and grabbed it.

After the zoo we went over to my Becky and

Mark's (my cousins) new house for a cookout

and to hang out.

Back row: Amanda, Colin, Alex, Sara

Front row: Eric, Connor, Elizabeth, Josh

and Nate is out front, he was a little

weary of the big kids. Smart Boy!!

The girls hangin out:

Amanda, Sara, Daisy and Elisabeth.

Jim, Becky, Elizabeth and Connor.